Improvement in water-wheels



UNITED STATES PATENT 0 FIGE.

WILLIAM G. EDWARDS, OF WEST WINSTED, CONNEGTI UT.

IMPROVEMENT IN WATER-WHEELS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 138,621, dated May 6, 1873 a-ppli tion filed November 22, 1872.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WILLIAM G. EDWARDS, of \Vest Winsted, in the county of Litchfield and State of Connecticut, have invented a new Improvement in Water WVheels; and I do hereby declare the following, when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing and the letters of reference marked thereon, to be a full, clear, and exact description of the same, and which said drawing constitutes part of this specification, and represents, in

Figure 1, a top view, a portion of the wheel broken away to show the chutes and gate; Fig. 2, a vertical central section of the case and side wheel; and in Fig. 3, a transverse section of the wheel only, on line was, looking from the top.

This invention relates to an improvement in that class of turbine-wheelsknown as centraldischarge, the object being to facilitate the opening of the gate and also the action of the water upon the wheel; and it consists in constructing the upper and lower section of the buckets without a division between, the upper section extending over a flange toward the center discharge, as more fully hereinafter described.

A is the case, in the center of which is arranged the wheel upon a shaft, (J, with chutes B around the outside, conducting inward to the wheel, substantially in the usual manner. In each of these chutes agate, l), is arranged, by preference pivoted centrally, as at Ct, Fig. 1. On the upper edge of the gate a stud, (1, extends up through the case, and upon the upper side of the ease aring, E, is arranged near the outer edge over the gates, and in the said ring over each gate a diagonal slot, 0, is formed, into which the said stud 61 sets. This ring is given a partial rotation by means of apinion,

f, or otherwise. Such partial rotation will, when the gates are closed, carry the slots 0 into the positions denoted in broken lines, Fig. 1; the studs 01 will move through the slots, and thereby be carried outward, causing the gate to turn upon its pivot, as denoted in broken lines, Fig. 1, and thus open the chute, and at the same time form a divisio in the chute. By reversing the movement of i he ring E the parts will be closed again. Th jbuckets L are arranged around the outer ed of the wheel in substantially the usual man er, but extend from the top to the bottom, as een in Fig. 2. At a distance of about two-thi I s the width of the bucket, toward the cente I arrange a vertical flange or ring, I, and on the upper edge of this an inwardly-proje ing flange, n, as seen in Figs. 3 and 4, the u er portion of the bucket projecting inward 0 er this flange n. The water passing into th Iwheel strikes the whole surface of the bucke and so much of it as is inclined so to do wil pass through the buckets over the flange n o the center, thence out through the centr 1 opening N. The remainder of the water ll pass down through the buckets outside th 3 flange Z.

By thus constructing the wh 1 without the division between the upper and ower sections of the bucket I attain the full ct-ive force of the water, leaving the water f i e to its own natural course for exit.

As the escaping water must re ,olve with the wheel, thus causing no iIlCOIlSi( ra-ble friction between the water and the case as wheels are usually constructed, I avoid t s friction by arranging around the buckets, t their lower extremity, a vertical ring, R, ,ending from their extreme lower edge up to he shoot, as seen in Fig. 2, which said ring 1 uns in close proximity to the lower portion, of the case, and the water will pass down i ide this ring, and not come in contact with he case, the whole surface of the exit-open g revolving with the wheel.

I claim as my invention- In combination with a successi in of buckets, L, the internal vertical ring l, a d the flange a, substantially in the manner a lfor the purpose described. l

WILLIAM (J. EWARDS.

Witnesses: V

R. L. BEECHER, E. E. GILIVIAN. 

